Method and apparatus for making center spot crowns



Oct. 5, 1937. A. J. JONSSON 2,094,985

I METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING CENTER SPOT CROWNS Filed March 17, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 LED Anders T seg Tonsscm.

. INYIENTOK- RA-o ATT Oct. 5, 1937. 4 v A. J..JONSSON 2,094,985

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING CENTER SPOT CROWNS Filed March 17, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fwd-er; osg TonSSon mvEN-r rt.

9 ATTY Oct. 5, 1937. A. J. JONSSQN 2,094,985

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING CENTER SPOT CROWNS I E l l /6 l /4 e nder s Biases n Sson I I mvENTor I ATT Oct. 5, 1937. A. J. JONSSON 2,094,935

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR'MAKING CENTER SPOT (JR OWNS Filed March 17, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 A rider s ToseS To V\ 5$0 n I 1N VEN Q,

Oct. 5, 1937. A. J. JONSSON 2,094,985

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING CENTER SPOT CROWNS Filed March 17, 1954 5-'Sheep s S hieet '5' Fig. 9.

Anders Te ses- Tons en INVENTOR- Patented Oct. 5, 1937 PATENT OFFICE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING CENTER SPOT'CROWNS v Anders Josef Jonsson, Linkoping, Sweden Application March 17,

1934, Serial No. 716,050

In Sweden February 25, 1933 19 Claims.

The present invention relates to a method of and a device for putting so-called facing disks or spots into bottle caps especially in full-automatic machines which make the caps and/or close the bottles. Such machines are provided with tools for introducing into the cap a sealing disk of a material, such as cork, which is elastic to a certain degree. 7

In recent years machines of this type have been used for closing bottles and receptacles containing beer, mineral water and other drinks. Although cork as a sealing material has proved to be the most suitable, it has several drawbacks. In spite of paraffining or other treatment, cork easily imparts a slight taste to the contents of the container, some drinks having proved to be particularly easily damaged. Furthermore, it is difficult to form cork disks sufiiciently free from pores that they do not pass the liquid or carbon dioxide which may be present in the liquid. If liquid penetrates between the cork disk and the cap which is usually of aluminum, the salts which may be present in the liquid may attack the aluminum cap.

Toovercome these drawbacks it has been suggested to provide the cork disk with a protective coating or a so-called facing disk of specially prepared paper, tinfoil or the like. The coating is applied to the cork disk by various methods, the most suitable being to apply to one side of the coating a very thin layer of gutta-percha or similar substance, which at relatively low temperature fuses rapidly, thus fixing the coating to the cork disk.

In prior constructions it has been necessary to effect this coating of the cork disk in a process and machine which is completely separate from the cap making and/or the bottle closing process and machine. Devices have been proposed for applying facing disks in combination with the cap making in the same machine, but said devices have proved unsuited for high speed operation.

This invention has for its object to make possible the coating of the sealing disk with the protecting material as part of the cap making and/or the bottle closing operations, so that the making of caps, the introducing of the sealing disk, the procedure of providing the same with a protecting coating and, in certain cases, also the closing of the bottle or receptacle, take place in a continuous process.

Two embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows a front view of the machine, the bottom of which is a vertical cross-section along line G-I-I, of Figure 2.

Figure 2 shows a plan View of the machine table with the parts of the machine disposed thereon; the parts which are above the table and a broken section plane JKL-M, marked in Figure 1, are removed.

Figure 3 shows a section A-BCD of Fig ure 2 and Figure 4 shows on a larger scale, a section E-F of Figure 2.

Figures 5-12 show, partly diagrammatically, another embodiment of the invention, viz. the 'mechanism arranged as an additional unit.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the unit, with certain parts omitted for the sake of simplicity.

Figure 5 shows the same in section O- -P of Figure 5.

Figures 7 and 8 show side views of one and the same detail the members being in two different positions.

Figure 8a shows a modification of this detail.

Figure 9 illustrates, on a larger scale, a section Rr-S of Figure 5 and Figure 10 shows also, on a larger scale, a detail to the left of Figure 5 seen in plan.

Figures 11 and 12 show, on a larger scale, a plan view and a side view of another detail.

The two embodiments of the invention are shown as applied to a machine for making com plete caps, i. e. machines, which punch the cap shell blank out of a metal strip, bend the same and put a cork disk into the cap shell thus produced.

Of the known parts of the machine numeral l indicates the cap shell punching device for punching out and shaping the cap shell 0, 2 indicates a groove in which the cap shell is moved towards the cork inserting tool 3, (in the embodiment shown this takes place by means of compressed air) 4 indicates a tube in which the cork disks a are stacked, 5 is the conveyer which feeds the disks a from tube 4 and is moved toand-fro by the toothed gear 6 which, by means of the shaft 1, the toothed gear 8 and the rack 9 receives its motion from the shaft 9a, which drives the cap shell punching device. In Figure 1 the conveyer is'shown in its one end position and in' Figure 2 in its other end position.

Md, Nb and M0 is a safety device which is described in another connection, and which stops the machine, if no sealing disk is fed or if the disk is mutilated. This safety device cooperates in a well known manner with an introducing plunger 2|, which forms part of the tool 3, the

said plunger being driven by a lever Me and a push rod It the motion of which is controlled by the said safety device.

The invention relates to a mechanism which, in cooperation with the remaining tools, punches a facing disk b out of the coating material, which is in strip form, attaches the facing disk to the disk and introduces the latter into the cap shell ,0, whereupon the cap isconveyed in the usual manner to a collecting receptacle or to the closing ers. I have shown this strip diagrammatically in v a Figure 3 by means of a dash and-dot-line, and

in Figure 4 by means of a full line lila. 'The feeding device receives its motion fromthe shaft '1 via a crank'l l disposed on the same, a winch handle i la. disposed on a roller shaftand a oonnecting-rod Ilb connecting both and a step by step device Ho and lid. I2 is a guide pulley for the, strip, which runs in a groove IS in. the ma chine table. j

' In the' machine table [4, below the coating strip, there is provided a punching device i5 (Figure 4mm: a punching die He located above the same. The punch, which in Figures 3 and 4 is shown in a pushed upposition, receives its upand-down movement by means of a lever l6 (Figure 2) from a cam IT on the shaft 1. Among the other parts I51) indicates a bearing bush for the punch.v A conveyer l8,which receives its to-andfro-motion by means of alever l9 from a cam 20,

. which is also mounted on the shaft 1, feeds the ering plate.

punched out facing disk to the inserting tool 3. The conveyer !8 runs between two guides l8a,

' which are secured in the machine table by means l8b of Figure 4 indicates a covof screws Hia.

In order that the facing disk shall be liberated from the die and come on a suitable level above the same relatively to the conveyer, the punch is providedwith a central bore for a pin I80 '(Figure 4), which under the action of a spring ltd raises the punched out facing disk to a suitable height above the punch, the said height being determined by a pin-and-groove connection lBe.

The punch is stopped in this position owing to the shape of the cam l1, until the conveyer I8 has pushed the facing disk from the' pin l8c.'

In order that the conveyer'shall run free of the same, it is provided with a groove I81 on its under side. The introducing plunger 2| of the inserting tool comprises an electric heating element which is fed with current through the wires 22. The upper portion of the introducing plunger, the element 23, is made of 'a good heat conductor such as copper. The supply of heat is controlled in a known way by means of a rheostat.

' The device operates in the following manner.

From the strip Ilia, the upper side of which is coated with gutta-percha or the like, the punch l5 punches out a facing disk 12, which by means of the-conveyer i8 is pushed forward in a groove I50", until it rests'on'the plunger 2|, which is in its lower position. The latter has been connected to the electric current and is hot. Before the plunger 2| starts its upward movement, a cork disk 0. is introduced by the conveyer 5 from the supply pipe 4 in such a position that it will come above the facing disk b resting on the plunger.

Meanwhile the cap shell punching device has finished the cap shell 0 and the latter is conveyed up to the cork inserting tool 3 and above the plunger 2| and the facing disk b and cork disk 11., which rest on the same. The plunger is then moved upwards and presses the cork disk into the cap at the same time as it presses the facing disk to the cork disk. By heat from the plunger the gutta-percha 'like coating of the facingdi'sk fuses, and the simultaneous pressing causes the facing 'disk to stick to the cork disk, so that the cap, when liberated from the tool, to be conveyed further away to the collecting recepta cle or to the closing member, is provided with a V cork disk with an applied facing disk of protect- 7 ing material and ready to be immediately applied side of the cork disk facing the cap shell with- V out the application of heat. two or more layers of like or different material united by some adhesive.

So as to prevent the heat from spreading from the plunger 2i to the strip blank for the facing disks which would soften or even melt the coating before the punching out operation and cause the facing disksto stick to one machine member or the other, the path for the strip is kept cooled by blowing air on it through a number of holes25, which receive compressed air through a conduit from some suitable source of compressed air, for example the fan which delivers compressed ai for moving the cap. I

In order toinsure that the facing disk shall not stick to the, cork disk, before the latter is centered in relation to the facing disk, it is necessary that the cork disk be kept well cooled until it is placed above the facing disk and the plunger 25. This cooling may also be effected by means of compressed air. Of course, other ,members near the introducing punch may also be' cooled in the same way. V I

The hereinbefore described mechanism for in is made as a separate assembly which may be attached to the machine or removed from the same,

It may consist of depending whether the'caps are to be made with r or without facing disks. so constructed that the facing disk is applied either above or below the cork disk in the cap, i.- e., either between the cork disk and the cap shell or on the free surface of the disk.

The construction of the unit is such that a great number of cork disks is under treatment The mechanism may be at the same time for the application of the facing disks, the disks being moved in one or more lines across a table fro-m a supply pipe or the like. Each is furnished with its facing disk which, by means of a punching tool like the one described above, is cut out'of a blank strip. The

cork disks are fed stepwise from the supply pipe and pass through a conveyer which pushes the facing disks in their proper turns further past one or more heating plungers, and finally past a number of pressing plungers, which press the facing disks to the cork disks and at the same time cool them, so that they will stick. Thereafter the cork disks are moved into positions to.

be inserted into the caps, as described before.

In Figures 5-12 purely constructive details have been left out or they are only indicated schematically so as to make it easier to understand the figures.

The unit is mounted on a frame plate 39,.

which is detachably secured to the inner-portion iii of the machine table so as to replace the outer portion 16 (see especially Figure 2) with the associated inserting mechanism for the facing disks.

The fastening device has a foot portion 32 and two screw bolts 33. In practice the same may of course be made in some other way. The supply pipe for the cork disks is out off a distance above the machine table and the lower portion 4 isassociated with an opening 34 in the plate 30, the upper portion 40. being moved a considerable distance to the right above the plate. Between this pipe portion 4a and the opening 34 the cork disks are fed in a line by means ofa conveyer, consisting of two bars 35, 36, provided with recesses for the disks. The said bars are movable within certain limits towards and away from one another and moreover synchronously backward and forward in their longitudinal direction. For the first mentioned movement they are guided by two cross pieces 31, 38 (Figures 9, 10) at each end, for the last mentioned movement by two bearings 39, 4D, for in one of them runs a rail 4! or a shaft, and in the other a rail 42 or a shaft, each formed from its separate cross piece 31. The bars are provided with stationary rolls 43, 44 on the upper and lower sides, which bars run in guide grooves in the cross pieces. The longitudinal movement of the bars iseffected for example by means of a lever 45 (Figure 5), which is connected with the driving mechanism of the machine. On displacing the bars to the left (in Figure 5) they move the cork disks 0. a step, and at the end of the stroke they are moved apart. Upon the displacement of the bars to the right the cork disks remain in their positions. In such a case they are retained by working plungers 46, 41,48, shown in Figure 6.

The latter are secured in a holding member 49, which is mounted in the machine. for an upward and downward movement. While the plungers are pressed against the cork disks, preferably by spring pressure, the'bars are moved back by the lever 45. Y

The above mentioned spreading of the bars is effected by wedges 5D, 5! (Figures 5, 6, 9, 10), secured on arms 52, 53. Upon the termination of the feeding stroke of the bars, the wedges are simultaneously swung in between the lower rolls 44 when the arm bumps against a shoulder 55 (Figure 5). Both arms are moved simultaneously by means of an adjustable connection 54 consisting of two rods united by means of a screw sleeve 51. When the bars are moved to the right, the wedges and arms follow, but are stopped before the end of the stroke by the arm 53 bumping against a shoulder 56. The bars. are freed from the wedges and by the action of springs again grasp the cork disks. Another cork disk a is then grasped below the pipe 4a and the disk which is furthest to the left, is, pushed out on a turning plate 58, mounted above the pipe, 4. The purpose of the said plate is to turn the cork disks for a purpose, which will be clear fromthe following. i

The facing disk punch may be constructed and arranged in the same way as in the preceding embodiment, or it may be disposed on the upper side of the blank strip I2zr. This punch is not shown in the drawings, but may, for example, be located right above the opening 60 in a cross piece. 6|. Below this cross piece runs the slide, which pushes each of the facing disks from the stamp to the cork disk. Here the said slide is indicated by 62 and in the drawings it isshown pushed up to a cork disk. It receives its motion from the lever 63 and a cam 64, the shaft 65 of which is journalled at the under side of the plate 30 and is oscillated in the same way' as the. shaft 1 of Figure 2. a V

The blank strip [220 is fed forward bymeans of a feeding device Ill like in the previous embodiment and, therefore it is shown only diagrammatically in this case. The crank II is secured on the shaft 65, and by means of the connecting-rod lib connected with the winchhandle Ha, which drives the. feeding mechanism. In this embodiment the arrangement is such that a facing disk is not punched out if no; cork disk is fed from the pipe 4a. This control arrangement may be made in different ways. For example, the facing disk punch may be stopped. Another, simpler solution is tostop the feeding mechanism for example by'means of the arrangement shown in Figures 5, '7, 8. A control mem-, ber, preferably in the form of a small lever 10 is by means of a wire 13A running over trundles (not shown) connected with a feeler in the shape of .a roll 1!, the said feeler resting against the respective cork disk. 7

If the cork disk is missing, the feeler is pressed down, the member 113 changes its position and raises the pawl ilc, so that the latter will assume the position shown in Figure 8, at which 'it passes past the underlying notchof the ratchet lid, when the crank ll moves to the left, which is repeated until a new cork disk is pushed under the feeler, when the feeding begins again.. Figure 8a shows another embodiment, viz. a lever connection 16a between the roller 1| and the control member 10, 10h indicates a pressure spring which actuates the lever connection. 'Both the wire and the lever connectionv 13a may be. disposed below the plate .30.

The slide 52 and feeding mechanism in preferably cooperate so that during the forward pushing of the facing disk to thecork disk the feeding mechanism stands still, whereas the latter moves the strip forward a step when the slide is A pawl 15, carried by the pinion 15, engages with a ratchet 11 secured to the spindle of the plate. Accordingly, the plate is turned when the'bars are moved away from it,.i. e;, downwards as viewed in Figures 11 and 12,.but remains stationary when the bars are moved toward it, i. e.,

upwards as viewed in Figures 11 and 12. While the plate is stationary, the outermost cork disk may be pushed out onto the plate, and a flange 18 on the plate serves as astop for the cork disk.

When the plate is turned the cork disk falls down into the pipe 4, the facing disk D being turned down. Therefore, the disk will be fed into the cap by the slide and the plunger 2! (Figures 1, 4, '1) the facing disk I) still being turned down. The movement of the plate may of course be obtained also by means of some other coupling mechanism than the one hereinbefore described,,for example by means of a lever arj rangement. In case it is desired that the facing.

disk be turned upward in the cap, the p1ate58 is,

removed and the cork disk is pushed, directly down into the pipe 4 without being turned.

Among the plungers shown in Figure 6 the onesindicated by 4B and 41 are intended for heating,

e. g., by electric means as in the former embodiment. The remaining one 48 serves forsqueezing fast and, for cooling the facing disks.

I In the embodiments described the shaping of the cap and the application of the facing disk to the sealing 'disk take place in the same machine, but the operations may of course also be made in separate machines with the devices described.

Of course constructive changes may be made within'the scope of the present'invention.

Having now described. my invention, what I veyer for feeding a blank strip for facing disks, a

punching instrument past which said strip is fed, another'conveyer on the plate for transferringa facing disk from the punching instrument to each sealing disk fed from the supply pipe, and a plurality of pressing plungers above the plate along the path of the sealing disks for securing the facing disk tothe respective sealing disk.

2. A device according to claim 1, in which said first conveyer for the sealing disks consists of two bars with recesses for the sealing disks, the said recesses facing each other, means for moving said bars to and fro, wedges cooperating with bars of said first conveyer, means for actuating said Wedges when the sealing disks have been fed one step to move the bars apart, means for operating the wedges to follow the conveyer until the' latter hasreached the end position, and means operative thereupon for moving the wedges out of the engagement with said bars.

3. ,'A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the fact that at least one of the plungers comprises heatingmeans, the rest of the plungers being pressing and cooling plungers.

4. Adevice according to claim 1, characterized by a turning plate above. the storing tube for turning the sealing disks one after-the other so that the facing disk will be turned down in the storin tube, means for turningsaid plate half a turn between each sealing disk fed thereto, said last mentioned means including mechanism actuated by the. first conveyer for the sealing disks.

5. A device. according to claim 1, characterized by a'feeler in the path of the sealing disks, means operative when no disk is fed for reversing said feeler and stopping supplying of facing disks until another sealing disk has been fed.

6. A device according to claim 1, characterized by a feeler in the path of thesealing disks, a motion transmitting device, said feeding device comprising a step-by-step hook with which said motion transmitting device connects said feeler,

for'the stepwise driving of the same, andmeans for moving said hook outof engagement so that 'thefeeler changes its positionwhen a sealing disk 7 is lacking.

7. In the herein-described method of making complete bottle caps of thecharacter described, the steps which consist in supplying a plurality of cap shells and Ya plurality of Y sealing disks;

forming a plurality of facing disks each having adhesive material on one surface, advancing a sealing disk and a facing disk edgewise intocentered superposed relation, and pressing said superposed disks simultaneously into a cap shell.

.8. The steps set forth in claim 7, in which the facing disks are punched'out successively from a continuous blank of material.

9. The steps set forth in claim 7, in

ditional step of bonding the superposed sealing and facing disks together before they are pressed into the cap shell.

11. In a machine for making bottle caps of the character described, a support for a cap shell,

.characterdescribed, a support for a cap shell,

means for feeding a sealing disk into centered superposed relation to the cap shell, a plunger for pressing said sealing disk into the .capshell, an instrument for punching facing disks from a blank strip, said punching instrument being disposed laterally alongside of said plunger, and a conveyer for advancing a facing disk edgewise from said punching instrument into centered superposed relation on said plunger, whereby said plunger may thereupon press said sealing and facing disks in superposed relation simultaneously into the cap shell. 7

13. In a machine as set forth in claim 12, an electric heating element associated with said plunger so that said pressure may be accom which said pressure is carried out under application of heat. 10. Inthe method set forth in claim '7, the adfacing disk above the level of the working sur face of the punching instrument.

15. In a machine of the character described, 1

the elements set forth in claim 12, said conveyer comprising a slide, guide rails on opposite sides of the punching instrument and between which rails said slide moves, a lever articulated to "the slide for reciprocating the latter, a driving shaft, and a cam driven by said shaft for controlling the.

movements of said levers 16. In a machine as set forth in claim 12, an electric heating element associated with said plunger so that said pressure may be accomplished with the application of heat to said disks, and means for applying cooling air to said disks to prevent overheating thereof.

17. In the herein-described method of making 1 complete bottle caps of the character described,

the steps which consist in advancing a sealing disk and a facing disk edgewise into centered superposed relation, the facing disk having ad hesive material on one surface, and pressing said superposed disks simultaneously into acap shell. 18. The steps set forth in claim 17, in which heat. I

19. In the method set forth in'claim 17, the

said pressure is carried out under application. of

additional step of bonding the superposed sealing they arepressed 

